Vehicle arrestor



Feb. 10, 1948. E. A. BANSCHBACZH 'VEHICLE ARRES TOR Original Filed Sept. 10, 1941 l l I I l J .tecting pedestrians and others Patented Feb. 10, 1948 UNITED STATES: PATENT OFFICE Edward A. Banschbach, Madison, Wis.

Original application September 10, 1941, Serial No. 410,302. Divided and this application July 26, 1944, Serial No. 547,137

15 Claims.

struction in or upon a roadway, to arrest and stop .vehicles thereon, and hasmore particular re'ference to a yielding or resilient obstruction for engaging and gradually stopping a vehicle and thereby protecting it and its occupants from danger or injury, and also preventing the vehicle from passing the obstruction and thereby prooutside of the vehicle- An important object of the invention is in the provision of a safety appliance for use in highways for arresting and stopping vehicles and for providing a visible barrier which affords protection to pedestrians orpersons waiting at the side of or in a roadway.

A further important object of the invention is in the provision of a vehicle arrestor which will stop a vehicle, such as an automobilawithout undue violence to the car or'its occupants;

Other and further objects will appear hereinafter, the preferred constructions" being illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a plan view, and

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of an arrestor of the roadwa or safety island type;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation, and Fig. 4 is an end view of an enclosed arrestor of the safety island type;

Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line 5--5 of Fig. 3; 3 Fig, 6 is a side view of a spring section and one of the vehicle hooks of Fig. v5;

Fig. 7 is a detailside view of one of the vehicle hooks of Fig. 2;

Fig. 8 illustrates an arrestor springsurroundload, to passengers in it, or to other persons adjacent the arrestor.

For a permanent arrestor, at the roadside, or as a safety island, the constructions shown by Figs. 1 to 7 are provided. As shown in Figs. 1

into and with its top flush with the roadway 39. At a distance .therefrompaiong the roadway one or more similar block barriers are set in the ground projecting above the surface of the roadway three or'four feet. .ormore, to providera permanent stop abutment and protection. Extending between the blocks 40 and 4| are rigid bars or rails 4'2 with their endspermanently con-- nected therein as by end hooks 43 and 44. Surrounding and movable'upon the rail are spring sections 45, 4E and 41 of-graduated strength;or resistance, with guides 48' and projections 01 hooks in connection'with the springs at. intervals adapted to engage the-undergear or chassis portions of a vehicle. Adjacent rails are similarly inclined, gradually at first and then more abruptly where it. approaches the abutment 4| Instead of an exposed spring arrestor, a continuous concreteor other solid'abutment 50 may be set into the'roadway, as shown byFigs. 3 and 4. The upper contact 'surfaceis inclined and has a more abrupt-stop portion-5l at'the rear 'end. A hollow conduit 5215 set in the abutment having a top slot 53 open through the top of the abutment. In the" conduit are positioned .a number of spring sections 54, 55 and 56 of graduated strength: or resistance; free to move longitudinally, and secured to the springs and projecting through'the'slot atintervals are hooks 51 adapted to'eng'agethe undergear or chassis portions of a vehicle as it moves up on the abutment 50.

Any vehicle engagingthese arrestors, even at high speed, is first gradually retarded by the springs and "is-finally stopped by the end abutment. In the'safety island type, vehicles are warded off or deflected if crowded into the arrestor, andif unavoidable the vehicles slide up .the inclines against'the smooth, gradual increasa safe,

, and 4, itis desirable to provide means for prefilling with .water'and freezing solid.

venting the f ormation of ice-in'a solid mass between the springs-and the coils thereof.

As shown in Fig. 8 a highly compressible fi1ler31 of sponge rubber and the likemay occupy the central space within a spring 54 so that the interior is entirely filled up, preventing this space from An alternative construction is shown in Fig. 9 comprising a waterproof envelope or cylindrical bag 36 distended by a light spring 35. These .may be inserted in units or severalfeet in length and 2 a block of concrete or masonry 40 is set like the coil spring sections and are compressible crushed ice will slightly compress the diameterof these highly compressible spring fillers and.

freezing will affect the vehicle arresting spring action very little, if at all. between the coils fills andevens upto the over:

Even if: therspace the guide, and means projecting from the springs at intervals for engaging a vehicle for arresting and stopping it upon impact therewith.

8. In a vehicle arrestor, an inclined fixed guide extending longitudinally of a highway and comprising a passage with an open slot at the top, a plurality of spring sections of graduated strength mounted in succession in the slot and means projecting through the slot from the spring sections adapted to engage, arrest and stop a vehicle upon impact therewith.

.9..I na vehicle arrestor, a guide with a passageway extending longitudinally of a highway,

. ,havingan open slot at the top, a plurality of readily by the impact of a vehicle.

During the summer or warm seasons these I fillers may be removed and cleaned, or--left out entirely, although they .serve also to prevent the admission of: dirt anddebrisirom the streets l Variousother changes-in. the construction, combination and arrangement of the parts may be-" made without zdeparting from the spirit and scope of zthe invention.

What::I-'claim r 1. A vehicle arrestoimcom'prisingaanrupwardly inclined track' located abovelthe gro.und;::an"d a plurality ofrgraduated. spring sections: extending in succession 1 along said 'vtraek. arranged. 1 to zbe slida'bly engaged by-aan'approac-hing vehicle for arresting-the",vehicles 1; H 1

2. A :vehicle: arrestor comprising a :series -of spring sections :of graduated: strength extending lengthwisenof aa-shlghwayerand: having means projecting therefrom iatizinteryalls :to engage; arrest andtstop as: vehicle upon impact: there- 4 -1 1. A i f" 3. In awehicle: arreston i actrackra: plurality "of spring: sections iextencli-ng longitudinally of a highwayvand inclined: upwardly in :the direction of movement: ot- :a' yehiclezzthereon, said: springs adapted. to be! stressed awvehicle'rrunni-ng. gear andasaida track a'daptedtorraisei the front: of the vehicle :irom the highway 'uponimpa'cttherewith, arresting and'zstopping athesvehicle.;.:

4;" 'In a vehicle -.arrestor-,. the: combination of a track'wand a 1pluralityeofi-zgraduatedspring sections arrangedin vseries. longitudinally of a' highway and inclined upwardly.-i-n-.-the directionof travel of a vehicle-thereon for engaging, :airesting and stopping the vehicle. w i 5. 'In avehicle: arrestor aj :trackrandia successionof graduated spring-sections extending longitudinaily of a highwaysand'zinclined :upwardlyin the direction: of travel ofaaxvehicle: thereon, means projecting from the springs "for engaging the-' chass'is of a vehicle; said; track raising the front of the vehicleupon=impact with the track and engaging means, arresting and stopping the vehicle.

. 6-; In: a vehielearrestor, a-plm ality-of" graduated springsectionsarranged in'succes sion and extending longitudinally ofthe-highway, and means for'slidably supporting the sections in an inclined-positionupwardly in the direction of travel of a; vehicle-thereon;

' -75 A vehicle arrestor comprising a v"guide :rigidly at its ends and extending in an upwardly inclined directionlongitudinally of a highway, and a plurality of springsections m n m b r on .i d n m vem t v h sp n sections Ib na e dilate ;inthei es stance from the lowest to the'highest portion of .springsections mounted in and movable in the passageway, ,means projecting from the passage- Way through the slot for engaging a vehicle upon the highway and a compressible filler adapted to occupy the space internally of the springs.

-1 0.;,;A vehicle arrestor-comprising a plurality of-;spr ings.of graduated resistance arranged in succession and extending longitudinally of a highway with .the section of least resistance first in therdirection ot-travel of a;;vehicle thereon, a support 1 4 for the- "spring; sections; comprising a heavy; guide, bar upon; which thegspr-ing sections are movable the front end. .ofrthe .bar being secured in; a -concrete b1ock. of which the :top. is flush with the. roadway andithe-rear of the bar being supported above the roadway: by a concrete. block: extending above but embedded in the ground below the roadway.

. "11. A vehicle arrestor comprising a plurality .oisprings of: graduated resistance arranged in succession and extending longitudinally of. a highway with the section of: least resistance first: in the direction of travel-iof a-vehicle :thereon, a fixed concrete bloclg=,:having apassagein which-the spring sections are, contained inclined upwardly;from the front-to therearoithe spring sections and; providing a continuous obstruction of the safety islandtype increasing in heighth in the directionlof travel, of a vehicle.

12. A vehicle. arrestor comprising a plurality of springs of: graduated resistance." arranged in succession and extending. longitudinally of a highway with the section "of leastfresistance first in the direction ofztravel of avehicle thereon, a tubular containerfor the-springsections extendingxin an, upwardly'inclined positionupon a highway and having a slotcdmmunieating at the :top with the outer surfaceof the container, bumpers at the spring ends in a position to engage the front of a vehicle in its direction of movement and to=compressthe spring sections in successionupon impact therewith.

13. An assembly positioned above the ground level, comprisingan inclined vehicle arresting obstructionhaving a base of substantial malterialand. a conduit 'with resili'ent means therein adapted to oppose movementof a vehicle contactingand sliding upwardly along said inclined obstruction I Y 14. Vehicle obstructing means i ncluding an assembly of inclined members. diverging. l2- 'wardlyand raised above the ground .level, ,resil ient means carried by the inclined members, vehicle frontengaging means projecting upwardly above the inclined members and QDeratively connected with the resilient means. H

, V 15. In an elevatedaboye the ground: level or roadway surface vehicleohstructing-. and arresting assembly, a graduated-series of coilsprings,

upwardly projecting means positioned between the coil spring ends, and opposing the forward movement of forward moving vehicles, by compressing the series of graduated sizes of coil springs which act in proportion to the Weight and mass momentum of the moving forward vehicle.

EDWARD A. BANSCHBACH.

REFERENCES CITED Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Wilson July 30, 1907 Gust Sept. 1, 1925 Olaszy Apr. 16, 1935 Slavin Dec. 3, 1935 Morgan Oct. 10, 1939 King Mar. 25, 1941 Banschbach Aug. 22, 1944 

